Fish tacos with spicy pineapple salsa and red cabbage slaw

Favorite son, Alex and his lovely girlfriend, Alyssa are quite an accomplished young couple.  Both will be graduating from a reputable university in May with degrees in Chemical Engineering and a B.A. and Masters in Accounting respectively, and Husbie and I will finally get a raise…whoop!  I recently received a text from Alex asking me that if they opened a cafe, would I ‘pastry chef it up?’  My initial response was absolutely, but first go and earn some money in the field that you have been studying for the past five years and then we’ll talk! 

The ‘kids’ are fast becoming very skilled in the kitchen that I step aside and watch in amazement and burst with pride as they pickle vegetables, brew beer, make mayonnaise from scratch, grill burgers with blue cheese sauce, make gyros and much more.   I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised since it’s sort of written in their genes!  Alyssa hails from a Louisiana family that takes it’s food very seriously.  Her mother, Rhonda is an excellent cook who can stuff a shrimp like no one’s business and make a hearty chicken and sausage gumbo that’ll make you want to slap ya’ mama!  I have never resorted to fast food as a means of sustenance for my precious children and am happy to see that their philosophy of eating includes an appreciation and respect for fresh ingredients that not only nourish the body, but also provide a healthy avenue for creativity.

Alex’s interest in ethnic cuisines began in a Cuban restaurant.  At the age of two, Husbie and I watched in amazement as he polished off a bowl of spicy Cuban salsa without a flinch of an eye!  In junior high, he experimented with salsa concoctions and loved to share them with his classmates.  One such salsa was so spicy that it managed to agitate the entrails of an intrepid classmate that he had to leave class and go home; I sincerely hope he hasn’t been scarred for life!

Here’s a meal that Alex and Alyssa treated us to recently.  Inspired by Rhonda’s recipe, these fish tacos are easy to prepare and include a sunny tropical salsa, crunchy red slaw, buttery avocado slices and delicate tilapia.

Fish tacos with spicy pineapple salsa and red cabbage slaw  Serves 4

8 corn tortillas, warmed. I found very good yellow corn and wheat flour blend tortillas from La Tortilla Factory in Santa Rosa, California. They didn’t crack when folded as many corn-only tortillas do. They are available at Kroger grocery stores (one of the few good things I can chime about that comes from this chain. Living in the ‘burbs comes with its own challenges, one of them being the lack of great stores!)

Red cabbage slaw (see recipe below)

Spicy pineapple salsa (see recipe below)

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced

4 pieces of tilapia, or other mild white fish

Coat tilapia in a little oil.  Season with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne, to taste.  Just before you are ready to eat, broil the tilapia for about 8 minutes until just cooked.

Serve tilapia with warmed tortillas, pineapple salsa, avocado slices and red cabbage slaw.

Red cabbage slaw

½ red cabbage, finely sliced

1 cup cilantro leaves

1/3 red onion, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

2 tablespoons canola oil

Place sliced cabbage, cilantro leaves and sliced red onion in a large bowl. Mix vinegar, honey and lime juice in a small bowl.  While whisking quickly, add canola oil to vinegar mixture.  Add to coleslaw and mix thoroughly.

Spicy pineapple salsa – this recipe calls for more than you’ll need for the tacos.  The rest makes a refreshing tropical dip when served with tortilla chips.

1 large can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in its own juice

1 cup cilantro leaves, lightly packed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

hot sauce, to taste.  Alex loves Sriracha brand to spice things up. 

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend.

 

This post was submitted to Susan’s informative blog Yeastspotting for this week’s edition.

Prijatno!

Indian food rocks! Dosas with curried garbanzo filling, coconut curry sauce and mango salsa

My first memories of Indian cuisine are of our summer vacations in Durban, South Africa, where there is a large Indian population.   We would leave as early as 3 o’clock in the morning (the three of us kids still in our pyjamas) and drive over six hours to the closest beach on the Indian ocean.   There we enjoyed the fine white sands of Durban beach and we body surfed the waves which could reach 10’ high - quite an imposing sight for a youngster.   Those were wonderful and carefree times for a skinny kid growing up in South Africa.  But we also got our obligatory annual sunburns (smear on more baby oil, Mom – ouch!  Who knew any better?).  Then there was the occasional jellyfish (if only I had let that one swim away and didn’t try to push it away from me – ouch!) and the beached Bluebottle or Man O’ War (you said it was dead so I didn’t think stepping on the tail would hurt – ouch!)  Wonderful and carefree times, as I said.

But even as a child, I enjoyed the food.  A spicy stew called ‘Lamb curry and rice’ was a very popular dish served in hotels.  It consisted of ground lamb sweetened with sultanas (golden raisins) and spices, and topped with coconut and fresh banana slices.  It is a vivid memory, even today!  The Victoria Street Indian market was a feast for the eyes and offered amongst many souvenirs a variety of colorful Indian spices, curries and masalas (a mixture of herbs and spices).  I looked forward to our visit every year.

Fortunately for me, Houston has an abundance of very good restaurants specializing in dishes from every region of India.  I don’t cook Indian food often but I love it so much that I think it must be my favorite ethnic cuisine.  So I was very excited about this challenge and couldn’t wait to permeate the house with the heartwarming and pungent aromas of garlic, cumin, turmeric, chilies, coconut milk and curry powder. 

Curry powder – music to my nostrils!  Shunned by most Indian chefs, it is a key ingredient in the Coconut curry sauce below.  It is an English blend of spices readily available in grocery stores and contains a substantial amount of turmeric.  It became a convenient way for the British to replicate the savory dishes they enjoyed during the British occupation of India.  I recently worked for an outstanding youth soccer club – Albion Hurricanes FC.  The general manager is a smart Englishman who would occasionally bring ‘Fish pie’ to the office for lunch.  With the marked aroma of curry in the air, salivating, on my part began immediately, and I think I would have attacked if he didn’t offer me any!  Thanks for sharing, Mark!  BTW I’m still waiting for your mother’s recipe. 

Dosas are part of this month’s Daring Cooks’ challenge.  A VEGAN dish which came together surprisingly quickly is oh sooo delicious even when the three parts are eaten separately.  The recipes are totally animal-product free (no meat, no milk, no eggs), and are very low in fat.  Delicate dosas (crepes) stuffed with a spicy garbanzo filling and topped with a wonderfully fragrant coconut sauce and my addition of a simple mango salsa -  I could eat like this every day.  Who needs meat and dairy? 

Wait…I draw the line at dairy!  I couldn’t possibly live without my cheese and yoghurt!  Yoghurt could be a cool contrast to the spicy filling and sauce and I might include it next time (no veganism for me quite yet, thank you!)

Here’s the Daring cooks party line:  Debyi, our Daring Cooks host, from http://www.healthyvegankitchen.com chose something that could be easily adapted to be animal and gluten-free as well as tasty.  She and her husband had the pleasure of visiting one of the Fresh Restaurants (www.freshrestaurants.ca) in Toronto, Canada during a business trip.  She chose Indian Dosas from reFresh: Contemporary Vegan Recipes From the Award Winning Fresh Restaurants cookbook by Ruth Tal with Jennifer Houston.

Indian dosas
Typically, dosas (crepes) are made from lentils and rice left to ferment overnight, then ground to form a batter the next day.  They can be coarse and ‘stiff’.  These dosas are made with spelt flour and produce a decidedly different texture:  soft, lacey and very delicate.  My friend, Jessica, and I cooked together and found ourselves using pieces of the soft dosas to scoop up the sauce (Ethopian style) and stuff it into our mouths…sweet! 

Jessica with lunch

This dish comes in 3 parts: the dosas, the filling and the sauce.  Being me, I added a 4th part – a simple and cooling mango salsa as a topping.  The filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen, if necessary.  You can also serve them as a main course with rice and veggies.    My changes in the recipes are in blue.

Dosas  from reFresh  (makes 8-10 crepes to serve 4)

1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)  I accidentally bought vanilla flavored almond milk and fortunately the aroma was only evident during the cooking phase, but not at the tasting.  Whew!
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed   I used olive oil

1.  Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.   I added more almond milk because I wanted thinner dosas, I’d say up to 1/4 cup more.
2.  Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.  Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan and turn the pan in a circular motion until the batter spreads into a thin, round crepe. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter.  

Fill each of the dosas immediately with 2-3 tablespoons of the Curried garbanzo filling as they have a tendency to stick to each other if stacked when hot.  You can roll them or fold them twice to form a triangle, as I did.  Pour about 3 tablespoons of the Coconut curry sauce on top of each dosa and top with Mango salsa and slivered almonds, grated coconut, or chopped cucumber, if desired.

Very lacey, light and tender dosas

Curried Garbanzo Filling
This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.

Olive oil

5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced  Love my veggies, so I added an extra carrot.
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced Couldn’t find banana chilies so I roasted 2 poblano chilies for a nice kick!
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste I used an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce instead.

1.  Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium to low heat.  Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.  Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce
This makes a delicious sauce as a separate meal with basmati rice;  and it freezes well!

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose gluten-free flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

1.  Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.  Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.  Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.  Let it simmer for half an hour.

Mango salsa

1 mango, peeled and cubed

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

3 green onions, finely chopped

salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients and top the dosas with a spoonful.

 Dosa Toppings, optional 

¼ cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut  omitted it
¼ cucumber, sliced  omitted it as well

Prijatno!

Colorado Vacation and Shredded Pork Tacos with Grape Tomato and Watermelon Salsa

Paradise on earth!  That’s how I describe the Colorado Rockies.  This picture was taken from the scenic Silver Thread highway, just north of the historic town of Creede, near the headwaters of the Rio Grande River and the Continental Divide.

It’s always a special treat to spend time at the Smith Cabin at Pearl Lakes Trout Club.  Our hosts, Ralph and Barbara Smith, are dear friends.  We met when our daughters, Stephanie and Emilia, now nineteen years old, were in second grade.   Common interests in gardening, wine, cooking, photography, travel and books has kept our friendship lively and we cherish it.

This is the cozy Smith cabin near Creede, Colorado, a perfect setting in which to trade the Texas heat, emails, texts and phone messages for hiking, fly-fishing, morning walks and games.

Five lovely teenager girls kept us amused at all times: Karley, Stephanie, Emilia, McKenzie and Rachel (with her big, burly blanket I named Mečka – a descriptive Serbian word for ‘bear’, which describes it perfectly).

 

Russell, Stacey, Barbara, Ralph and Mrs. Lura Smith enjoying an assortment of artisanal cheeses and champagne on the deck before dinner:

 The hummingbirds were marvelous to watch for their speed and agility.

I found them highly territorial after getting caught by surprise in the midst of war between two hummingbirds.  They are so fast that by the time you hear them buzz by you, they are already gone.  The Master of them all guarded his feeder from this perch, just a few yards away:

Mrs. Smith delighted in feeding the birds and chipmunks and she distributed seventy-five pounds (yes, 75) of bird seed on every possible surface around the cabin, and was panicked when there was only one bag left at the caretaker’s store!

By the end of the week, she had spoiled them rotten and they were eating out of our hands: 

This little guy is filling up his cheeks before running up the hill to hide his winter provisions. 

 A Cassin’s Finch joined in the feast:

 Girls can outfish boys any day!  Stacey and her catch - a Rainbow Trout!

 

Emilia weighing her fish - a Brown Trout:

Ok, ok!  Boys can fish too!

Every evening there were intense dart throwing competitions.  The girls could out-smack the men in the smack-talking department, much to their surprise!  Here’s McKenzie showing us her form:

Cupcakes at the Fourth of July celebration.

After two hard days of driving over one thousand miles and two speeding tickets (awarded me on the same day while driving through *charming* north Texas towns which shall remain nameless), we were pleasantly greeted in the cabin by the aroma of a pork shoulder braising on the stove.  It was heartwarming. 

Towards the end of the braising, Stacey did a wonderful thing:  she slathered the roast with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  It added a touch of heat and spice which was complemented by the sweetness of the salsa.  Simple but delicious! 

Stacey’s Pork Tacos with Grape Tomato and Watermelon Salsa

We generously served 11 hungry hikers and fishermen by doubling the recipe and had meat left over for sandwiches the next day. 

One 6-8 lb pork butt (contrary to popular belief, it’s actually cut from the shoulder)

¼ cup oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ bottle red wine or port.  In typical Smith fashion, Ralph pulled out a ‘99 Shafer Port – sweeeeet!

2 cups beef or chicken stock

4 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, mashed with a fork

24 corn or wheat tortillas

Grape tomato and watermelon salsa (see recipe below)

Salt and pepper the pork butt on all sides.  Heat the oil in a heavy pot.  Carefully place the pork in the pot and brown it on all sides. 

When pork butt is browned, carefully add ½ bottle of red wine or port and the stock.  Reduce head to low and cover pot tightly with a lid.  Simmer gently on stovetop for 4-5 hours or until the meat separates easily when twisted with a fork.  Remove from heat. 

When the meat has cooled a little, shred it into bite size chunks and serve with salsa and warm corn tortillas.

Grape Tomato and Watermelon Salsa

2 cups halved yellow grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes

2 cups watermelon, cut into 1/2" pieces

½ large or 1 small red onion, finely chopped

½ - 1 cup finely chopped cilantro

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve with shredded pork and warm tortillas. 

A delicious addition to the taco would be my Cilantro Crema: a mixture of sour cream, lime juice and chopped cilantro. 

Prijatno!